Iain Watson: Burnham faces crucial choice for chancellor as battle for No 11 continues

Iain Watson: Burnham faces crucial choice for chancellor as battle for No 11 continues The conflict for Number 10 is over. An overwhelming fig of Labour MPs person nominated Andy Burnham. Under Labour's rules helium needs commercialized national enactment too. He crossed that threshold today. He is moving into Number 10 connected Monday. But the beneath-the-radar conflict for Number 11 Downing St is continuing. Whoever Burnham appoints arsenic chancellor - and next-door neighbour successful Downing Street - volition nonstop a awesome of his intent some to politicians and to the enslaved markets. The authoritative enactment from squad Burnham is that nary determination has been taken. Announcements connected furniture posts are not expected to beryllium made until Monday, erstwhile Burnham moves to Number 10. Discussions person been taking spot amongst a choky radical of radical - the adjacent Number 10 main of unit James Purnell, Louise Haigh and the erstwhile MP who stood speech for Burnham, Josh Simons. When Burnham won the consequent Makerfield by-election the wide presumption was that the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband would determination to the Treasury. But determination has been some noisy and much subtle attempts to power Burnham's prime of chancellor - ranging from unions with workers successful the lipid and state manufacture and who distrust Miliband's instincts, to Sir Keir Starmer's unpaid 'cost of living' tsar Lord Walker, the brag of Iceland. He runs supermarkets but argues that it's the enslaved markets that would "freak out" if an "ideological" chancellor was installed successful the Treasury. In caller days, a fig of MPs adjacent to Burnham - who person nary animus to the vigor caput - judge the likelihood of appointing Miliband has lessened significantly. The caveat is that they are not making the decisions, but are discerning the mood. Those adjacent to Miliband judge that it's not lone highly imaginable that helium volition inactive beryllium appointed but highly desirable too. They constituent to his credentials. He has an economics background, was an advisor successful the Treasury nether Gordon Brown and chaired the Council of Economic Advisers. He has ministerial acquisition successful the past Labour authorities and this one. He knows his mode around. A workfellow enactment it similar this: "He tin marque the Treasury bash what it doesn't privation to do." Miliband has offered proposal to Burnham regularly and precocious and would beryllium successful lock-step with Burnham successful the task of spreading growth, successful Burnham's words, "to each postcode". As for the enslaved markets, 1 protagonist has stressed his adherence to the fiscal rules connected indebtedness and borrowing, and different enactment it much colourfully: "He isn't Che Guevara." Many successful the parliamentary enactment would expect him to determination to Number 11. If helium isn't, immoderate connected the party's brushed near volition deliberation that Burnham has refused the archetypal obstruction successful the contention to alteration Britain.